Monday, May 25, 2009

It's a.... Cupcake!

Recently we had the big ultrasound and found out that the little one on the way is a girl. I'm "old" this time around and had the super-duper ultrasound, so they were very sure (they were not just looking for the absence of boy parts, but clearly saw the presence of girl ones).

When we told the Bud, he was convinced that we had ignored his request for a baby brother - until he talked to his good friend A. who has a 6 month old baby sister. Her excitement for him turned him around (Thank you, A!). She also had a ton of advice for him - including that he needed to come up with a nickname for the baby before she is born. He thought for a bit and came up with cupcake. So, Cupcake it is.

I finally finished the "Jim Shirt" (aka vest) I was working on for the Bud this weekend. I only knit on it about 5 different days, but it took about a month to squeeze those 5 days in.

The fit is good except for the length. I followed the length guidelines for his size in the pattern, but I think I may rip out the cast on edge and make it longer at some point.

The Bud is a big fan though, and that's what counts.

Grandma and Grandpa came over for Memorial Day today. We planted tomatoes, and had a fabulous lunch on the deck.

The Bud got to plant his very own garden of marigolds with Grandma, who also brought him a special bud-sized watering can. He has been watering everything possible all day.

I have been working a little on the lace part of my Ishbel Shawl (Ravelry Link), but I must be too tired for lace - I've messed up somehow three different times, and I just need to let it rest for a bit before I do something rash. Perhaps once school is out, my head will be clearer.

Instead I cast on a little something for Cupcake with lots of soothing garter stitch.

It's my first Baby Surprise Jacket, and like so many knitters before me, I am wowed by the genius of Elizabeth Zimmerman. Since I am using fingering weight yarn, this will be "first week of life" size. I wouldn't make this size for a gift, but I know that I want to have a little sweater to wear coming home, and this will be perfect.

I also budgeted to pick up some fiber yesterday. I have not done much spinning since I got my wheel a few months ago - mostly because I have been exhausted from working on this. But I am back at it again (now that I have more energy) and hope to spin more through the summer.

I am getting better at spinning thinner and more evenly, but I wanted some more fiber to practice on. And I wanted enough to have some usable yardage at the end just in case it ends up being a little thicker. So I ended up bringing home close to a pound of this coopsworth in "Maple Leaves".

My last purchase was from the Briar Rose stand. I couldn't resist their colors.

Everything of theirs was so lovely - I could have just picked a skein with my eyes closed and been completely happy.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Thank you!

Many, many thanks to those of you who donated to the Roseville String Ensemble and sent good wishes to our group over the last month.Your generosity was wonderful, and raised $400 for the RSE - enough to cover the cost of purchasing/renting music for one of our concerts next year!

Throughout the past month I have added each new entry to the drawing into an excel spreadsheet automatically assigning a number to each entry. Today, with the help of a trusty online number generator, I "drew" names.